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Oct 20, 2013

Do What U Want (With My Body) - Lady Gaga

The media likes to pit people against each other for the hell of it. It's a shame, because unfortunately, Lady Gaga received a lot of flack the past few months when 'Applause' didn't out-perform Katy Perry's 'Roar.' That being said, it still hit the top of the charts, and it's an expansive pop dance tune.

The back and forth between her and Perez Hilton seemed to take away from ARTPOP as well. And we can all agree that her shenanigans are sometimes too much to handle. But I have a lot of respect for her and her talent. She's one of the few pop artists that will dance her ass off on stage and will fight to sing 100% live. Gaga always shows up — she gives us exactly what we want. I don't want to see a video for 'Applause' unless she's writhing half naked, doing something absurd and dancing at the speed of light. She's smart, good at what she does, and that's that.

Being a fan during her time as an underground artist, back when 'Just Dance' was merely a twinkle in her eye, I've accumulated several favorite Gaga tracks over the years. ('Hair', 'You & I', 'Speechless', and 'Starstruck' are high on the list.) But this new collaboration with R. Kelly is candy-coated goodness. I never want it to stop. Turn the mic up and sing it all night long, Gags.

I'd be remiss if I didn't address the obvious: at first, reading the lyrics made me unfortable, given I don't want pre-pubescent children innocently chanting "do what you want with my body." (Cue the articles about race and rape culture.) The rhythym and melody of this song is really want makes it so appealing, and if you choose to interpret her lyrics as she wrote them: as a dance anthem, or a big FU to "the haters," — then you won't have any issues. Granted, it's still worth a discussion: why do female artists feel compelled to sell themselves sexually? Why does it always have to be about earning some kind of acceptance, or giving a piece of yourself away? I'll save that soap box for another time...